Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Hanslanda]

A pretty significant portion of European people speak English but it's not considerate to expect that. Learn their language mate. 

[wierd]

Oh, I would not rest on my laurels bro.  Just, learning another language is not a small undertaking.

[Kagus]

In Norway, it kinda depends... No one would dare approach you about your lawn directly, but they may certainly take offense at your lack of conformity, and will gossip heavily and indirectly behind your back. If a direct approach is deemed necessary, a representative may seek you out and make vague mentions of the weather and how it can affect grass growth. This is a fairly extreme tactic however, and will generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Normally such things will be ignored however, unless you make a point of standing out. Keep your house painted in acceptably dull colors and refrain from exhibiting flashy art installations on your property, and you will be left alone.


While larger cities generally attract immigrants who have not yet learned to master the finer antisocial niceties expected in society, do not fret if your situation demands a more urban living situation... Most residents practice acceptable levels of avoidance, such as taking the stairs if someone else appears to be using the elevator, and timing the unlocking and opening of their door so as not to encounter anyone in the hall.

We have a neighbor in the apartment directly adjacent to ours, who has been living there for several years. I'm not entirely sure he exists.


Though the remoteness may be tempting, I would recommend against living in Svalbard. While the population density rivals even that of Alaska, the people living there are required to keep in better contact with one another due to the omnipresent dangers of snowstorms and bears. Alcohol is also somewhat cheaper (or at least moonshine is more readily available due to less policing), so people may be socially drunk on a more frequent basis, and can sometimes attempt conversation. The climate is also just about as bad as it gets.


As for language, while everyone learns English in school, not everyone retains any competency in it. Norwegian is reasonably close to English though as far as languages are concerned, and although not an easy language by any means, they share enough grammar and word structure that it's not too difficult to figure out.

However, there's a catch... There's Norwegian, and then there's Norwegian. There are actually two distinct official languages, and they're different enough from each other to cause confusion in both directions. Additionally, they both have dozens of local dialects ranging from the slightly exotic to the completely unintelligible. Due to the similarities, people also can get by with speaking Swedish or Danish as their primary languages, but to someone who didn't grow up in Scandinavia these oddballs are like starting all over again from scratch.

Finnish... fuck, dude. Lots of people in Finland (particularly certain areas) speak Swedish as well as Finnish. Just learn Swedish instead, at least to start with.


You know how Finland keeps getting its educational system ranked the highest in the world? Well, they're forced to. They need the best in order to teach their own kids the damn language.

[ChairmanPoo]

I honestly think that native English speakers overrate the % of the population that will be able to understand them in a non-english speaking nation (because seriously, I think the "english as second language" stats are including people who are not fluent to any meaningful degree). I mean you'll do OK in hotels and tourist resorts but that's for all languages. And gestures and common words will go a long way anywhere you go, too . But if you expect to go to a random place in Rome, Madrid, or Paris and have people understand you, best case  scenario is that you'll be disappointed.

As for language, while everyone learns English in school, not everyone retains any competency in it.

Yeah, pretty much this.


By the way, a corollary for this is that no matter what your first language is, you should not assume the locals *don't* understand anything you're saying either. You never know when you'll stumble with that one guy who has a Romanian girlfriend, or used to spend summers with a family in Denmark, or something like that. 

[IcyTea31]

Is there work for either a CNA, an industrial draftsman, or a SAN admin there?  I can do all three of those with above average competency.

I have no idea what those jobs are. Here's a list of open jobs by field, see which of them applies to you.

Also, how essential is learning finnish/norwegian/swedish?

In Finland, English is enough for most everyday things, but some fluency with one of the local languages is required for permanent residency and citizenship, if you want to go that far.

Finnish... fuck, dude. Lots of people in Finland (particularly certain areas) speak Swedish as well as Finnish. Just learn Swedish instead, at least to start with.

You know how Finland keeps getting its educational system ranked the highest in the world? Well, they're forced to. They need the best in order to teach their own kids the damn language.

Bah, you and your Indo-European languages. Finnish is ultimately a relatively simple language; it's just so different that you need to start learning it from scratch (whereas, for example, you get a head start to Swedish if you already know English). Note, however, that while public institutions are required to serve in both Finnish and Swedish, private ones usually only do so on the coast; inland Swedish won't help much.

[JoshuaFH]

In Norway, it kinda depends... No one would dare approach you about your lawn directly, but they may certainly take offense at your lack of conformity, and will gossip heavily and indirectly behind your back. If a direct approach is deemed necessary, a representative may seek you out and make vague mentions of the weather and how it can affect grass growth. This is a fairly extreme tactic however, and will generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Normally such things will be ignored however, unless you make a point of standing out. Keep your house painted in acceptably dull colors and refrain from exhibiting flashy art installations on your property, and you will be left alone.


While larger cities generally attract immigrants who have not yet learned to master the finer antisocial niceties expected in society, do not fret if your situation demands a more urban living situation... Most residents practice acceptable levels of avoidance, such as taking the stairs if someone else appears to be using the elevator, and timing the unlocking and opening of their door so as not to encounter anyone in the hall.

We have a neighbor in the apartment directly adjacent to ours, who has been living there for several years. I'm not entirely sure he exists.

Man that just sounds awful. How do Nords reproduce? 

I mean, I don't know my neighbors. Though people are moving in and out so often that I wonder exactly what their lives are like. I've managed to catch some while they're outside, and talk to them and been ignored as they hurry away.

I'm reminded of a lot of stories from Japan, which I suppose has similar levels of informally, passive aggressively enforced social niceties, and travelers there grazing against some asinine and obscure custom, the locals being too happy to infringe on a person's personal preferences and trying to 'correct' it, and the only thing I can think of is "How does this NOT escalate to violence?" and while it doesn't devolve into a fight, I'm left very upset on the author's behalf.

[wierd]

A CNA is a Certified Nurse's Aid.  Their job responsibilities include all the dirty things a registered nurse (RN) does not want to do. 'nuff said. (Though I *AM* considering going and finishing out with a nursing degree, simply because I find I can speak fluent nurse with my superiors at work, and it would greatly increase my employment prospects. --there is a massive shortage of that vocation over here, while the others I have are all "endangered")

An industrial draftsman makes, interprets, and maintains industrial drawings. (eg, blueprints, inspection documentation for manufactured parts, etc.)

A SAN administrator manages a Storage Area Network.  A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides high speed access to redundant storage arrays for high-availability computing clusters or server deployments. 

Of the VERY generic classes they gave, Industrial drafting would fall under "Manufacturing; Mining and quarrying and other industry", and SAN administration would fall under "Information and communication".

CNA would be under "Healthcare providers and health services", but that is not a category listed.

[heydude6]

In Norway, it kinda depends... No one would dare approach you about your lawn directly, but they may certainly take offense at your lack of conformity, and will gossip heavily and indirectly behind your back. If a direct approach is deemed necessary, a representative may seek you out and make vague mentions of the weather and how it can affect grass growth. This is a fairly extreme tactic however, and will generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

....

residents practice acceptable levels of avoidance, such as taking the stairs if someone else appears to be using the elevator, and timing the unlocking and opening of their door so as not to encounter anyone in the hall.

How much of this is a joke, and how much of this is real? It seems rather extreme.

[wierd]

In Norway, it kinda depends... No one would dare approach you about your lawn directly, but they may certainly take offense at your lack of conformity, and will gossip heavily and indirectly behind your back. If a direct approach is deemed necessary, a representative may seek you out and make vague mentions of the weather and how it can affect grass growth. This is a fairly extreme tactic however, and will generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

....

residents practice acceptable levels of avoidance, such as taking the stairs if someone else appears to be using the elevator, and timing the unlocking and opening of their door so as not to encounter anyone in the hall.

How much of this is a joke, and how much of this is real? It seems rather extreme.

I dunno, but it sounds flipping amazing to me...  It's about the level of interaction I have with my neighbors right now in fact.  I only just recently learned the first name of my neighbor in fact. (She's lived there for more than 6 years.)

[Kagus]

In Norway, it kinda depends... No one would dare approach you about your lawn directly, but they may certainly take offense at your lack of conformity, and will gossip heavily and indirectly behind your back. If a direct approach is deemed necessary, a representative may seek you out and make vague mentions of the weather and how it can affect grass growth. This is a fairly extreme tactic however, and will generally be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

....

residents practice acceptable levels of avoidance, such as taking the stairs if someone else appears to be using the elevator, and timing the unlocking and opening of their door so as not to encounter anyone in the hall.

How much of this is a joke, and how much of this is real? It seems rather extreme.

The lawn stuff is a slight exaggeration, but you will definitely find people like that. My grandfather is one of them. It takes him roughly 30 minutes of staring out the window and mumbling about "it can potentially be said by some individuals in situations resembling those of character archetypes similar to mine, that..." before being able to get to the point about how he feels I should get a higher education to make more money. He will do this while repeatedly checking his weather instruments and fidgeting with his weather journals.

The real reason Norwegians are concerned about the sun's eventual death is that they won't have anything to talk about anymore.


As for apartments and such, that is not an exaggeration. Back when I was living in Lillestrøm, I'd generally nod my head in acknowledgement of people passing by. Most would hurriedly look straight at the sidewalk in front of them and pick up their pace, an expression of terror creeping into their features. It's just not done.

If you meet the same person on a hiking trail, you can expect a hearty wave and a friendly "Hello! Lovely weather!", but on the streets? Yeah, no. Unless you're drunk, you have no business talking to people. It makes them deeply uncomfortable.

Finnish is ultimately a relatively simple language

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

No, I'm not going to post the Polandball one about the dog. I'm aware that it cheats.

[TD1]

I knew the name of my neighbour! (Note the singular.) He was called Dennis. Then he died three years ago, and I've never even seen the person who lives there now.

Just as well. When I was young, I used to play games with Dennis' goat.

He had guns, and was more than a little crazy, which at the time only added spice to the goat-play.

[ChairmanPoo]

I dont know how is the law in regard to nursing assistants. I can tell you that at least for nursing and physician positions, every country I'm aware off requires you to be fluent in the vernacular language of said country. Even if they don't require it for nursing assistants (which I dont actually know) I'd think it'd be a very damn good idea to learn it. I can tell you from personal experience that even if you're fluent in the language you will struggle at times. It's one thing to be fluent in ideal circumstances, a wholly different one to understand and be understood under all circumstances.

[Kagus]

That said, medical professionals are also considerably more likely to be proficient in English, due to most of the literature and many important seminars being in English.


But in a professional work environment like that, it's still a good idea to have a good grasp of the language. Especially when urgent cases can pop up and you need to understand hastily given instructions to the letter.

[IcyTea31]

A CNA is a Certified Nurse's Aid.  Their job responsibilities include all the dirty things a registered nurse (RN) does not want to do. 'nuff said. (Though I *AM* considering going and finishing out with a nursing degree, simply because I find I can speak fluent nurse with my superiors at work, and it would greatly increase my employment prospects. --there is a massive shortage of that vocation over here, while the others I have are all "endangered")

Oh yes, there's a shortage here as well. Nurses of all kinds are very employable.

An industrial draftsman makes, interprets, and maintains industrial drawings. (eg, blueprints, inspection documentation for manufactured parts, etc.)

A fairly specialist job, I'm not entirely sure of the job market for it, but I'll say that if there are open positions, they're very lucrative.

A SAN administrator manages a Storage Area Network.  A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides high speed access to redundant storage arrays for high-availability computing clusters or server deployments. 

Computer savvy is more valuable than gold: a recent-ish poll had companies rate a lack of IT personnel as a worse problem than a lack of capital.

Finnish is ultimately a relatively simple language

(a table listing Finnish cases)

No, I'm not going to post the Polandball one about the dog. I'm aware that it cheats.

Note how the English equivalents use prepositions (at, from, into, to...) in place of inflection. Those are something a non-native speaker has to learn when studying English. The Finnish cases work largely in the same way, only you use a suffix rather than a second word for it. As I said, the problem is that you have to start from scratch, not that the language itself is complex.

[KittyTac]

Re: Language difficulties

I learned basic English words when I was 4 or so.